Aerosol delivery device including an electrical generator assembly

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices. The aerosol delivery devices may include an atomizer, a reservoir configured to contain an aerosol precursor composition and an electrical circuit coupled to the atomizer. The electrical circuit may include an electrical generator assembly including a moveable input member and an electrical generator configured to produce an electrical current from movement of the moveable input member. The electrical circuit may be configured to direct the electrical current to the atomizer to produce an aerosol from the aerosol precursor composition. A related aerosol production method is also provided.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices, and moreparticularly, to electrical power mechanisms for aerosol deliverydevices. The aerosol delivery device may include an atomizer configuredto produce an aerosol from an aerosol precursor composition. The aerosolprecursor composition, which may include components made or derived fromtobacco or otherwise incorporate tobacco, may be heated by a heatingelement of the atomizer to produce an inhalable substance for humanconsumption.

BACKGROUND

Many smoking devices have been proposed through the years asimprovements upon, or alternatives to, smoking products that requirecombusting tobacco for use. Many of those devices purportedly have beendesigned to provide the sensations associated with cigarette, cigar orpipe smoking, but without delivering considerable quantities ofincomplete combustion and pyrolysis products that result from theburning of tobacco. To this end, there have been proposed numeroussmoking products, flavor generators and medicinal inhalers that utilizeelectrical energy to vaporize or heat a volatile material, or attempt toprovide the sensations of cigarette, cigar or pipe smoking withoutburning tobacco to a significant degree. See, for example, the variousalternative smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices and heatgenerating sources set forth in the background art described in U.S.Pat. No. 7,726,320 to Robinson et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 8,881,737 toCollett et al., which are incorporated herein by reference. See also,for example, the various types of smoking articles, aerosol deliverydevices and electrically-powered heat generating sources referenced bybrand name and commercial source in U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2015/0216232 toBless et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. Additionally,various types of electrically-powered aerosol and vapor delivery devicesalso have been proposed in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2014/0096781 toSears et al.; 2014/0283859 to Minskoff et al.; 2015/0335070 to Sears etal.; 2015/0335071 to Brinkley et al.; 2016/0007651 to Ampolini et al.and 2016/0050975 to Worm et al.; all of which are incorporated herein byreference.

Certain existing embodiments of aerosol delivery devices include acontrol body and a cartridge. An electrical power source (e.g., abattery) may be positioned in the control body and an aerosol precursorcomposition may be positioned in a reservoir in the cartridge. Thebattery may be rechargeable via a power adapter to allow for reusethereof. However, usage of alternative electrical techniques forpowering an aerosol delivery device may be desirable.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices which, incertain embodiments, may be characterized as electronic cigarettes. Inone aspect an aerosol delivery device is provided. The aerosol deliverydevice may include a housing and an electrical circuit. The electricalcircuit may include an electrical generator assembly including amoveable input member extending out of the housing. Further, theelectrical circuit may include an electrical generator configured toproduce an electrical current from movement of the moveable inputmember. The electrical circuit may additionally include a connectorconfigured to direct the electrical current to an atomizer to produce anaerosol from an aerosol precursor composition.

In some embodiments the electrical circuit may additionally include anelectrical storage device configured to receive and store the electricalcurrent. The electrical circuit may further include a switch configuredto selectively direct the electrical current from the electrical storagedevice to the connector. Additionally, the electrical circuit mayinclude an external power input configured to charge the electricalstorage device. The connector may include a coupler configured to engagea cartridge including the atomizer and a reservoir containing theaerosol precursor composition.

In some embodiments the electrical generator assembly may furtherinclude a generator shaft extending from the electrical generator. Themoveable input member may be configured to rotate the generator shaft ofthe electrical generator assembly. The moveable input member may includea lever. The moveable input member may further include a gear track. Theelectrical generator assembly may further include a transfer gearassembly. The gear track may be configured to engage and rotate thetransfer gear assembly. The transfer gear assembly may be configured torotate the generator shaft extending from the electrical generator. Theelectrical generator assembly may further include a flywheel assembly.The transfer gear assembly may be engaged with the flywheel assembly andthe flywheel assembly may be engaged with the generator shaft extendingfrom the electrical generator. The transfer gear assembly may include aninput gear and an output gear. The gear track may be engaged with theinput gear and the flywheel assembly may be engaged with the outputgear.

In an additional aspect an aerosol delivery device is provided. Theaerosol delivery device may include the control body, the atomizer, anda reservoir containing the aerosol precursor composition.

In an additional aspect an aerosol production method is provided. Themethod may include producing an electrical current with an electricalgenerator assembly including a moveable input member. The moveable inputmember may extend out of a housing. Further, the method may includedirecting the electrical current to an atomizer configured to receive anaerosol precursor composition from a reservoir to heat the aerosolprecursor composition and produce an aerosol. The atomizer and thereservoir may be engaged with or received within the housing.

In some embodiments the method may further include receiving and storingthe electrical current in an electrical storage device prior todirecting the electrical current to the atomizer. Directing theelectrical current to the atomizer may include directing the electricalcurrent to the atomizer in response to receipt of an input from aswitch. Additionally, the method may include charging the electricalstorage device with an external current from an external power sourcepositioned outside of the housing. Directing the electrical current tothe atomizer may further include directing the electrical currentthrough a coupler to a cartridge including the atomizer and thereservoir.

In some embodiments producing the electrical current with the electricalgenerator assembly may include rotating a generator shaft extending froman electrical generator with the moveable input member. Producing theelectrical current with the electrical generator assembly may furtherinclude rotating a transfer gear assembly with the moveable inputmember. Producing the electrical current with the electrical generatorassembly may further include rotating a flywheel assembly. Producing theelectrical current with the electrical generator assembly may furtherinclude engaging an input gear of the transfer gear assembly with themoveable input member and engaging an output gear of the transfer gearassembly with the flywheel assembly.

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the disclosure willbe apparent from a reading of the following detailed descriptiontogether with the accompanying drawings, which are briefly describedbelow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Having thus described the disclosure in the foregoing general terms,reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of an aerosol delivery device including acontrol body and a cartridge according to an example embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a modified sectional view through the control body ofthe aerosol delivery device of FIG. 1 according to an example embodimentof the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a modified sectional view through the aerosoldelivery device of FIG. 1 according to an example embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded view of the cartridge of FIG. 1 accordingto an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a major side view of an electrical generator assemblyof the aerosol delivery device of FIG. 1 according to an exampleembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates a minor side view of the electrical generatorassembly of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 illustrates an aerosol production method according to an exampleembodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to exemplary embodiments thereof. These exemplary embodimentsare described so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, andwill fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in theart. Indeed, the disclosure may be embodied in many different forms andshould not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein;rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure willsatisfy applicable legal requirements. As used in the specification, andin the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, “the”, includeplural variations unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Aerosol delivery devices according to the present disclosure may useelectrical energy to heat a material (preferably without combusting thematerial to any significant degree) to form an inhalable substance; sucharticles most preferably being sufficiently compact to be considered“hand-held” devices. An aerosol delivery device may provide some or allof the sensations (e.g., inhalation and exhalation rituals, types oftastes or flavors, organoleptic effects, physical feel, use rituals,visual cues such as those provided by visible aerosol, and the like) ofsmoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe, without any substantial degree ofcombustion of any component of that article or device. The aerosoldelivery device may not produce smoke in the sense of the aerosolresulting from by-products of combustion or pyrolysis of tobacco, butrather, that the article or device most preferably yields vapors(including vapors within aerosols that can be considered to be visibleaerosols that might be considered to be described as smoke-like)resulting from volatilization or vaporization of certain components ofthe article or device, although in other embodiments the aerosol may notbe visible. In highly preferred embodiments, aerosol delivery devicesmay incorporate tobacco and/or components derived from tobacco. As such,the aerosol delivery device can be characterized as an electronicsmoking article such as an electronic cigarette.

Aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure also can becharacterized as being vapor-producing articles or medicament deliveryarticles. Thus, such articles or devices can be adapted so as to provideone or more substances (e.g., flavors and/or pharmaceutical activeingredients) in an inhalable form or state. For example, inhalablesubstances can be substantially in the form of a vapor (i.e., asubstance that is in the gas phase at a temperature lower than itscritical point). Alternatively, inhalable substances can be in the formof an aerosol (i.e., a suspension of fine solid particles or liquiddroplets in a gas). For purposes of simplicity, the term “aerosol” asused herein is meant to include vapors, gases and aerosols of a form ortype suitable for human inhalation, whether or not visible, and whetheror not of a form that might be considered to be smoke-like. In use,aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure may be subjected tomany of the physical actions employed by an individual in using atraditional type of smoking article (e.g., a cigarette, cigar or pipethat is employed by lighting and inhaling tobacco). For example, anaerosol delivery device of the present disclosure can be hand-held by auser, a user can draw on a portion of the article for inhalation ofaerosol produced by that article, a user can take puffs at selectedintervals of time, and the like.

Aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure generally include ahousing and a number of additional components coupled thereto and/orpositioned within the housing, and some of the components may beremovable or replaceable. The overall design of the housing can vary,and the overall size and shape of the housing can vary. The smokingarticles can include a cartridge, which can be defined by an outer bodyor cover—e.g., an elongated body resembling the shape of a portion of acigarette or cigar. For example, an outer cover or body of the cartridgecan be substantially tubular in shape and, as such, resemble the shapeof a conventional cigarette or cigar. In some embodiments, the housingmay contain one or more reusable components (e.g., a rechargeablebattery and various electronics for controlling the operation of thatarticle), and the cartridge can be removable, refillable, and/ordisposable.

Aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure most preferablycomprise some combination of a power source (i.e., an electrical powersource), at least one control component (e.g., means for actuating,controlling, regulating and/or ceasing power for heat generation, suchas by controlling electrical current flow from the power source to othercomponents of the aerosol delivery device), a heater or heat generationcomponent (e.g., an electrical resistance heating element or componentcommonly referred to as part of an “atomizer”), and an aerosol precursorcomposition (e.g., commonly a liquid capable of yielding an aerosol uponapplication of sufficient heat, such as ingredients commonly referred toas “smoke juice,” “e-liquid” and “e-juice”), and a mouthend region ortip for allowing draw upon the aerosol delivery device for aerosolinhalation (e.g., a defined air flow path through the article such thataerosol generated can be withdrawn therefrom upon draw). When theheating element heats the aerosol precursor composition, an aerosol isformed, released, or generated in a physical form suitable forinhalation by a consumer. It should be noted that the foregoing termsare meant to be interchangeable such that reference to release,releasing, releases, or released includes form or generate, forming orgenerating, forms or generates, and formed or generated. Specifically,an inhalable substance is released in the form of a vapor or aerosol ormixture thereof.

As noted above, the aerosol delivery device may incorporate a batteryand/or other electrical power source (e.g., a capacitor) to providecurrent flow sufficient to provide various functionalities to theaerosol delivery device, such as powering of a heater, powering ofcontrol systems, powering of indicators, and the like. The power sourcecan take on various embodiments. Preferably, the power source is able todeliver sufficient power to rapidly heat the heating element to providefor aerosol formation and power the aerosol delivery device through usefor a desired duration of time. The power source preferably is sized tofit conveniently within the aerosol delivery device so that the aerosoldelivery device can be easily handled. Additionally, a preferred powersource is of a sufficiently light weight to not detract from a desirablesmoking experience. A battery for use in the present devices may bereplaceable, removable, and/or rechargeable and thus may be combinedwith any type of recharging technology, including connection to atypical alternating current electrical outlet, connection to a carcharger (i.e., a cigarette lighter receptacle), and connection to acomputer, such as through a universal serial bus (USB) cable orconnector. In one preferred embodiment the electrical power sourcecomprises a lithium-ion battery, which may light weight, rechargeable,and provide a large energy storage capacity. Examples of electricalpower sources are described in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2010/0028766 toPeckerar et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

An aerosol delivery device according to the present disclosurepreferably incorporates a sensor or detector for control of supply ofelectric power to a heat generation element when aerosol generation isdesired (e.g., upon draw during use). As such, for example, there isprovided a manner or method for turning off the power supply to the heatgeneration element when the aerosol generating piece is not be drawnupon during use, and for turning on the power supply to actuate ortrigger the generation of heat by the heat generation element duringdraw. For example, with respect to a flow sensor, representative currentregulating components and other current controlling components includingvarious microcontrollers, sensors, and switches for aerosol deliverydevices are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al.; U.S.Pat. No. 4,947,874 to Brooks et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,148 toMcCafferty et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al.; U.S.Pat. No. 7,040,314 to Nguyen et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 8,205,622 to Pan; andU.S. Pat. No. 8,881,737 to Collet et al.; U.S. Pat. Pub. Nos.2009/0230117 to Fernando et al.; and 2014/0270727 to Ampolini et al.;and 2015/0257445 to Henry et al.; which are incorporated herein byreference in their entireties. Additional representative types ofsensing or detection mechanisms, structures, components, configurations,and general methods of operation thereof, are described in U.S. Pat. No.5,261,424 to Sprinkel, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty etal.; and PCT WO 2010/003480 to Flick; which are incorporated herein byreference in their entireties.

In some embodiments, the aerosol delivery device can include anindicator, which may comprise one or more light emitting diodes. Theindicator can be in communication with the control component through aconnector circuit and illuminate, for example, during a user draw on themouthend as detected by the flow sensor.

Various elements that may be included in the housing are described inU.S. App. Pub. No. 2015/0245658 to Worm et al., which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety. Still further components can beutilized in the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosure. Forexample, U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,192 to Sprinkel et al. discloses indicatorsfor smoking articles; U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,424 to Sprinkel, Jr. disclosespiezoelectric sensors that can be associated with the mouth-end of adevice to detect user lip activity associated with taking a draw andthen trigger heating; U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al.discloses a puff sensor for controlling energy flow into a heating loadarray in response to a pressure drop through a mouthpiece; U.S. Pat. No.5,967,148 to Harris et al. discloses receptacles in a smoking devicethat include an identifier that detects a non-uniformity in infraredtransmissivity of an inserted component and a controller that executes adetection routine as the component is inserted into the receptacle; U.S.Pat. No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al. describes a defined executablepower cycle with multiple differential phases; U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,289to Watkins et al. discloses photonic-optronic components; U.S. Pat. No.5,954,979 to Counts et al. discloses means for altering draw resistancethrough a smoking device; U.S. Pat. No. 6,803,545 to Blake et al.discloses specific battery configurations for use in smoking devices;U.S. Pat. No. 7,293,565 to Griffen et al. discloses various chargingsystems for use with smoking devices; U.S. Pat. No. 8,402,976 toFernando et al. discloses computer interfacing means for smoking devicesto facilitate charging and allow computer control of the device; U.S.Pat. No. 8,689,804 to Fernando et al. discloses identification systemsfor smoking devices; and WO 2010/003480 to Flick discloses a fluid flowsensing system indicative of a puff in an aerosol generating system; allof the foregoing disclosures being incorporated herein by reference intheir entireties. Further examples of components related to electronicaerosol delivery articles and disclosing materials or components thatmay be used in the present article include U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,217 toGerth et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,586 to Morgan et al.; U.S. Pat. No.5,666,977 to Higgins et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,176 to Adams et al.;U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,287 to White; U.S. Pat No. 6,196,218 to Voges; U.S.Pat. No. 6,810,883 to Felter et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,461 to Nichols;U.S. Pat. No. 7,832,410 to Hon; U.S. Pat. No. 7,513,253 to Kobayashi;U.S. Pat. No. 7,896,006 to Hamano; U.S. Pat. No. 6,772,756 to Shayan;U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,156,944 and 8,375,957 to Hon; U.S. Pat. No. 8,794,231to Thorens et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 8,851,083 to Oglesby et al.; U.S. Pat.Nos. 8,915,254 and 8,925,555 to Monsees et al.; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos.2006/0196518 and 2009/0188490 to Hon; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No.2010/0024834 to Oglesby et al.; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2010/0307518 toWang; WO 2010/091593 to Hon; WO 2013/089551 to Foo; and U.S. Pat. App.Pub. No. 2014/0261408 to DePiano et al., each of which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

The aerosol precursor composition, also referred to as a vapor precursorcomposition, may comprise a variety of components including, by way ofexample, any of a polyhydric alcohol (e.g., glycerin, propylene glycol,or a mixture thereof), nicotine, tobacco, tobacco extract, and/orflavorants. Various components that may be included in the aerosolprecursor composition are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,726,320 toRobinson et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety. Additional representative types of aerosol precursorcompositions are set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,365 to Sensabaugh, Jr.et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,839 to Jakob et al.; PCT WO 98/57556 toBiggs et al.; and Chemical and Biological Studies on New CigarettePrototypes that Heat Instead of Burn Tobacco, R. J. Reynolds TobaccoCompany Monograph (1988); the disclosures of which are incorporatedherein by reference in their entireties. Other aerosol precursors whichmay be employed in the aerosol delivery device of the present disclosureinclude the aerosol precursors included in the VUSE® product by R. J.Reynolds Vapor Company, the BLU™ product by Lorillard Technologies, theMistic Menthol product by Mistic Ecigs, and the Vype product by CNCreative Ltd. Also desirable are the so-called “Smoke Juices” forelectronic cigarettes that have been available from Johnson CreekEnterprises LLC. Additional exemplary formulations for aerosol precursormaterials that may be used according to the present disclosure aredescribed in U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2013/0008457 to Zheng et al., and U.S.Pat. No. 9,254,002 to Chong et al., the disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

The aerosol delivery device preferably includes a reservoir. In someembodiments, a reservoir may comprise a container for storing a liquidaerosol precursor, a fibrous substrate, or a combination of a fibroussubstrate and a container. A fibrous substrate suitable for use as areservoir may comprise a plurality of layers of nonwoven fibers and maybe formed substantially into the shape of a tube. For example, theformed tube may be shaped and sized for placement within the outer bodyor cover of a cartridge for use in the aerosol delivery device. Liquidcomponents, for example, can be sorptively retained by the fibroussubstrate and/or be retained within a reservoir container. The reservoirpreferably is in fluid connection with a liquid transport element. Thus,the liquid transport element may be configured to transport liquid fromthe reservoir to a heating element, such as via capillary action and/orvia active transport—e.g., pumping or controlled movement with a valve.Representative types of substrates, reservoirs, or other components forsupporting the aerosol precursor are described in U.S. Pat. No.8,528,569 to Newton and U.S. Pat. No. 8,715,070 to Davis et al.; andU.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2014/0261487 to Chapman et al. and 2015/0216232to Bless et al.; which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties.

The liquid transport element may be in direct contact with the heatingelement. Various wicking materials, and the configuration and operationof those wicking materials within certain types of aerosol deliverydevices, are set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 8,910,640 to Sears et al., whichis incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. A variety of thematerials disclosed by the foregoing documents may be incorporated intothe present devices in various embodiments, and all of the foregoingdisclosures are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

The heating element may comprise a wire defining a plurality of coilswound about the liquid transport element. In some embodiments theheating element may be formed by winding the wire about the liquidtransport element as described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,210,738 to Ward et al,which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Further, insome embodiments the wire may define a variable coil spacing, asdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,277,770 to DePiano et al., which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Various embodiments ofmaterials configured to produce heat when electrical current is appliedtherethrough may be employed to form the heating element. Examplematerials from which the wire coil may be formed include titanium,platinum, silver, palladium, Kanthal (FeCrAl), Nichrome, Molybdenumdisilicide (MoSi₂), molybdenum silicide (MoSi), Molybdenum disilicidedoped with Aluminum (Mo(Si,Al)₂), graphite and graphite-based materials;and ceramic (e.g., a positive or negative temperature coefficientceramic). The heating element may comprise a wire defining a mesh,screen or lattice structure positioned about the liquid transportelement. Example materials from which the wire mesh, screen, or latticemay be formed include titanium, platinum, silver, palladium, Kanthal(FeCrAl), Nichrome, Molybdenum disilicide (MoSi₂), molybdenum silicide(MoSi), Molybdenum disilicide doped with Aluminum (Mo(Si,Al)₂), graphiteand graphite-based materials; and ceramic (e.g., a positive or negativetemperature coefficient ceramic). An example embodiment of a meshheating element is disclosed in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2015/0034103 toHon. In some embodiments, a stamped heating element may be employed inthe atomizer, as described in U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2014/0270729 to DePianoet al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.Further to the above, additional representative heating elements andmaterials for use therein are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,671 toCounts et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,093,894 to Deevi et al.; U.S. Pat. No.5,224,498 to Deevi et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,460 to Sprinkel Jr., etal.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,075 to Deevi et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,813 toDeevi et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,468,936 to Deevi et al.; U.S. Pat. No.5,498,850 to Das; U.S. Pat. No. 5,659,656 to Das; U.S. Pat. No.5,498,855 to Deevi et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,225 to Hajaligol; U.S.Pat. No. 5,665,262 to

Hajaligol; U.S. Pat. No. 5,573,692 to Das et al.; and U.S. Pat. No.5,591,368 to Fleischhauer et al., the disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Further, chemicalheating may be employed in other embodiments. Various additionalexamples of heaters and materials employed to form heaters are describedin U.S. Pat. No. 8,881,737 to Collett et al., which is incorporatedherein by reference, as noted above.

A variety of heater components may be used in the present aerosoldelivery device. In various embodiments, one or more microheaters orlike solid state heaters may be used. Embodiments of microheaters andatomizers incorporating microheaters suitable for use in the presentlydisclosed devices are described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,881,737 to Collett etal., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

One or more heating terminals (e.g., positive and negative terminals)may connect to the heating element so as to form an electricalconnection with the power source and/or a terminal may connect to one ormore control elements of the aerosol delivery device. Further, variousexamples of electronic control components and functions performedthereby are described in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2014/0096781 to Searset al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Various components of an aerosol delivery device according to thepresent disclosure can be chosen from components described in the artand commercially available. Reference is made for example to thereservoir and heater system for controllable delivery of multipleaerosolizable materials in an electronic smoking article disclosed inU.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2014/0000638 to Sebastian et al., which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In further embodiments, one or more components of the aerosol deliverydevice may be formed from one or more carbon materials, which mayprovide advantages in terms of biodegradability and absence of wires. Inthis regard, the heating element may comprise carbon foam, the reservoirmay comprise carbonized fabric, and graphite may be employed to form anelectrical connection with the battery and controller. An exampleembodiment of a carbon-based cartridge is provided in U.S. Pat. App.Pub. No. 2013/0255702 to Griffith et al., which is incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety.

Aerosol delivery devices are often configured in a manner that mimicsaspects of certain traditional smoking devices such as cigarettes orcigars. In this regard, aerosol delivery devices typically define asubstantially cylindrical configuration. For example, aerosol deliverydevices often include a control body and a cartridge which attach in anend-to-end relationship to define the substantially cylindricalconfiguration. Such configurations may provide a look and feel that issimilar to traditional smoking articles. However, aerosol deliverydevices may define various other shapes and configurations such as“fob-shaped,” which may be ergonomically configured and allow for usageof a relatively larger cartridge or tank.

As noted above, aerosol delivery devices typically include an electricalpower source that directs power to a heating element of an atomizer toheat an aerosol precursor composition and produce a vapor. Theelectrical current provided by the electrical power source mayadditionally be employed to perform other functions such as theillumination of indicators and powering of electronic componentsincluded in the aerosol delivery device. However, electrical powersources such as batteries and capacitors have finite energy storagecapacities. Thereby, such electrical power sources require periodicrecharging or replacement in order to continue operating the aerosoldelivery device. In certain situations, depletion of the charge in theelectrical power source may prove problematic to a user. For example, auser may be isolated from an external power source during outdooractivities (e.g., hiking or traveling in remote areas). Further,external power sources may experience failures (e.g., during severeweather or natural disasters) that prevent a user from employing theexternal power source to recharge the electrical power source.Additionally, certain users may experience satisfaction from being “offthe grid,” and avoiding reliance on external power sources. As such,embodiments of the present disclosure provide aerosol delivery devicesconfigured to address the above-noted deficiencies of existingconfigurations of aerosol delivery devices and/or provide otherbenefits.

In this regard, FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of an aerosol deliverydevice 100 according to the present disclosure. As illustrated, theaerosol delivery device 100 may include a control body 101, which mayinclude a housing 102. In some embodiments the housing 102 may comprisea plastic material, but various other materials, which are preferablysubstantially rigid, may be employed in other embodiments. The housing102 may be unitary or comprise multiple pieces. For example, the housing102 may include a body portion 102 a, which may itself comprise one ormore pieces, and an access door 102 b. As further illustrated in FIG. 1,the aerosol delivery device 100 may additionally include a cartridge200, which may be at least partially received in the control body 101.The aerosol delivery device 102 may define a tubular configuration, a“fob” shape as illustrated in FIG. 1, or any other shape.

FIG. 2 illustrates a partially-exploded sectional view through thecontrol body 101 of the aerosol delivery device 100. As illustrated, thehousing 102 may define an electrical circuit cavity 104.

In particular, the electrical circuit cavity 104 may be defined in thebody portion 102 a of the housing 102. The electrical circuit cavity 104may be closed by, and accessed via, the access door 102 b. As describedin detail below, the electrical circuit cavity 104 may be configured toreceive at least a portion of an electrical circuit 105. The electricalcircuit 105 may include one or more components, which are describedhereinafter, and which may be connected by wires or other electricalconnectors.

Further, the housing 102 may define a cartridge cavity 106. Asillustrated in FIG. 3, the cartridge cavity 106 may be configured toreceive the cartridge 200. In this regard, the housing 102 may define anexternal opening 108 at the cartridge cavity 106 configured to receivethe cartridge 200 therethrough.

Various embodiments of the cartridge 200 may be employed in the aerosoldelivery device 100. In this regard, a side view of the cartridge 200,rather than a sectional view therethrough, is illustrated in FIG. 3 inlight of the various possible configurations of the components of thecartridge. However, one example embodiment of the cartridge isillustrated in FIG. 4.

In particular, FIG. 4 illustrates an example embodiment of the cartridge200 in an exploded configuration. As illustrated, the cartridge 200 maycomprise a base 202, a control component terminal 204, an electroniccomponent 206, a flow director 208, an atomizer 210, a reservoir 212(e.g., a reservoir substrate), an outer body 214, a mouthpiece 216, alabel 218, and first and second heating terminals 220 a, 220 b accordingto an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The atomizer 210 maycomprise a liquid transport element 222 and a heating element 224. Inthis regard, when electrical current is directed to the heating terminal224, the heating terminal may heat aerosol precursor compositiondirected thereto by the liquid transport element 222 from the reservoir212.

However, it should be understood that the cartridge 200 may includeother components in some embodiments. For example, although the atomizeris described as including a heating element, various other embodimentsof atomizers may be employed such as a positive displacement atomizer asdescribed in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2015/0117842 to Brammer et al., ora pressurized atomizer as described in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No.2015/0117841 to Brammer et al., each of which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety. Further, although the cartridge 200 isgenerally described herein as including a reservoir substrate, in otherembodiments the cartridge may hold an aerosol precursor compositiontherein without the use of a reservoir substrate (e.g., through use of acontainer or vessel that stores the aerosol precursor compositiontherein). The cartridge may additionally include a base shipping plugengaged with the base and/or a mouthpiece shipping plug engaged with themouthpiece in order to protect the base and the mouthpiece and prevententry of contaminants therein prior to use as disclosed, for example, inU.S. Pat. No. 9,220,302 to Depiano et al., which is incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety. Various other details with respect to thecomponents that may be included in the cartridge, are provided, forexample, in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2014/0261495 to Novak et al. andU.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2015/0335071 to Brinkley et al., which areincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

Returning to FIGS. 2 and 3, as noted above, the control body 101 mayinclude the electrical circuit 105, which may be at least partiallyreceived in, or otherwise engaged with, the housing 102 (e.g., in theelectrical circuit cavity 106). The electrical circuit 105 may includean electrical generator assembly 110. The electrical generator assembly110 may include a moveable input member 112 and an electrical generator113. In this regard, the electrical generator 113 may be configured toproduce an electrical current from movement of the moveable input member112.

The electrical circuit 105 may be configured to direct the electricalcurrent to an atomizer. For example, the aerosol delivery device 100 mayinclude the cartridge 200 which may be configured to engage anddisengage the control body 101, and which may include the atomizer 210(see, FIG. 4). In other embodiments the control body may be configuredto engage a tank, which may be configured to contain a relatively largervolume of aerosol precursor composition. An example embodiment of anaerosol delivery device including a tank is described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/981,051 to Phillips et al., filed Dec. 28, 2015,which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In anadditional embodiment the aerosol delivery device may include anatomizer substantially permanently coupled thereto. Thus, although theaerosol delivery device is generally described herein as including acontrol body and a separate cartridge, in other embodiments thecomponents thereof may be combined in a single unit.

Regardless of the particular configuration of the atomizer 210 (see,FIG. 4), the electrical circuit 105 may be configured to direct theelectrical current thereto to produce an aerosol from the aerosolprecursor composition, which may be stored in the reservoir 212 (see,FIG. 4). In this regard, the electrical circuit 105 may be coupled tothe atomizer 210. Thereby, a connector may be configured to direct theelectrical current to the atomizer 210 to produce an aerosol from anaerosol precursor composition. For example, the electrical circuit 105may include a coupler 114 configured to engage the cartridge 200.Thereby, as the cartridge 200 is inserted into the cartridge cavity 106,the cartridge 200 may engage the coupler 114. Accordingly, the cartridge200 may establish an electrical connection with the electrical circuit105. However, as may be understood, in other embodiments the connectormay comprise wires or other components configured to directly orindirectly engage the atomizer, and the particular configuration thereofmay depend upon whether the atomizer is permanently affixed to theelectrical circuit or configured to be disengaged therefrom.

The electrical circuit 105 may further include a controller 116. Thecontroller 116 may be configured to control one or more operations ofthe aerosol delivery device 100. For example, the controller 116 mayverify that the cartridge 200 is authentic using information provided bythe electronic component 206 (see, FIG. 4). Usage of the cartridge 200may be allowed only if the cartridge is determined to be authentic.

Further, the electrical circuit 105 may include a flow sensor 118, whichmay be positioned at, or in fluid communication with, the coupler 114.Thereby, when a user draws on the cartridge 200, the flow sensor 118(e.g. a pressure sensor) may detect the draw. In response, thecontroller 116 may direct current to the cartridge 200 such that thatthe heating element 224 of the atomizer 210 (see, FIG. 4) produces heatand vaporizes the aerosol precursor composition to produce a vapor,which may be directed to the user. An example embodiment of a controllerfor an aerosol delivery device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No.2015/0245658 to Worm et al., which is incorporated herein by referencein its entirety.

In some embodiments the electrical circuit 105 may further comprise acommunication module. The communication module may be configured tocommunicate via Bluetooth or any other communication standard. Examplesof communication modules and related antenna components which may beincluded in the aerosol delivery device 100 are described in U.S. patentappliaction Ser. No. 14/802,789, filed Jul. 17, 2015, and Ser. No.14/638,562, filed Mar. 4, 2015, each to Marion et al., which areincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

In some embodiments the electrical circuit 105 may additionally includean electronic display 120 (e.g., a liquid crystal display). Theelectronic display 120 may output information regarding the aerosoldelivery device 100. For example, the data displayed by the electronicdisplay 120 may include a remaining cartridge aerosol precursorcomposition level, a remaining power source level, historical usageinformation, heat and aerosol output settings, a charging status, acommunication status (e.g., when linked to another device via Bluetoothor other communication protocol), the time, and/or various other data.

As noted above, the aerosol delivery device 100 may include theelectrical generator assembly 110. As may be understood variousembodiments of the electrical generator assembly 110 may be employed. Inthis regard, the electrical generator assembly 110 is schematicallyillustrated in FIGS. 1-3. However, FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate major andminor side views of the electrical generator assembly 110 according toan example embodiment of the present disclosure.

As noted above, the electrical generator assembly 110 may include amoveable input member 112 and an electrical generator 113 (see, e.g.,FIG. 2). As illustrated in FIG. 6, the electrical generator assembly 110may further comprise a generator shaft 122, which may extend from theelectrical generator 113. The moveable input member 112 may rotate thegenerator shaft 122 in the manner described below. Rotation of thegenerator shaft 122 may rotate magnets relative to a conductive wireloop. Thereby, electrical current may be produced via electromagneticinduction. Thereby, the induced electrical current may be outputted by aplurality of electrical connectors 124 (e.g., electrical wires).

As noted above, the moveable input member 112 may be configured torotate the generator shaft 122. In this regard, the moveable inputmember 112 may be configured to move in response to a force imparted bya user. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the moveable inputmember 112 may comprise a lever 126 engaged with a pin 128 at an endthereof. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the moveable input member112, and in particular the level 126 (see, e.g., FIG. 5) may extend outof the housing 102. In this regard, the ergonomic “fob” shape of thehousing 102 may facilitate engagement of the moveable input member 112by allowing a user to squeeze the moveable input member in one hand.

Returning to FIGS. 5 and 6, when a user squeezes the lever 126, themoveable input member 112 may pivot about the pin 128. Further, themoveable input member 112 may include a gear track 130 including atoothed surface 132. The gear track 130 may be engaged with an end ofthe lever 126 opposite from the pin 128 in order to maximize leverageand provide a relatively longer displacement thereof during movement ofthe lever.

The toothed surface 132 of the gear track 130 may be configured toengage and rotate a transfer gear assembly 134. As illustrated in FIG.6, the transfer gear assembly 134 may include an input gear 136 and anoutput gear 138. The toothed surface 132 of the gear track 130 may beengaged with the input gear 136. Thereby, as the level 126 is depressed,the toothed surface 132 of the gear track may intermesh with the inputgear 136, thereby causing the transfer gear assembly 134 to rotate. Inthis regard, the input gear 136 and the output gear 138 may each berotationally fixed to a transfer shaft 140 such that rotation of theinput gear causes rotation of the output gear.

The transfer gear assembly 134 may be configured to rotate the generatorshaft 122 extending from the electrical generator 113. In this regard,in one embodiment the output gear 138 may directly rotate the generatorshaft 122. However, as illustrated, in another embodiment the outputgear 138 may be engaged with a flywheel assembly 142.

In this regard, the flywheel assembly 142 may include a flywheel gear144, a flywheel shaft 146, and a flywheel 148. The output gear 138 ofthe transfer gear assembly 134 may engage the flywheel gear 144. Theflywheel gear 138 may be rotationally fixed to the flywheel shaft 146such that the flywheel shaft rotates when the flywheel gear 144 isrotated by the output gear 138 of the transfer gear assembly 134.

Further, the flywheel 148 may rotate when the flywheel shaft 146rotates. In this regard, in some embodiments the flywheel may berotationally fixed to the flywheel shaft. However, in the illustratedembodiment the flywheel assembly 142 further includes an interlockingmember 150. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the interlocking member 150 mayinclude at least one pawl 152. Each pawl 152 may be configured to engageone of a plurality of inner teeth 154 defined by the flywheel 148. Inparticular, the one or more pawls 152 may engage the inner teeth 154when the output gear 138 rotates the flywheel gear 144 and the flywheelshaft 146. In this regard, the interlocking member 150 may berotationally fixed to the flywheel shaft 146. Thereby, as theinterlocking member 150 is rotated, centrifugal force and/or gravity maycause one or more of the one or more pawls 152 to extend outwardly andrespectively engage an inner tooth 154 of the flywheel 148 such that theflywheel rotates. The flywheel shaft 146 and the generator shaft 122 maybe independently rotatable. However, the flywheel 148 may berotationally fixed to the generator shaft 122 (see, FIG. 6) such thatwhen the flywheel is rotated, the electrical generator 113 outputselectrical current via the electrical connectors 124 (see, FIG. 6) asdescribed above.

Thus, as described above, the electrical generator 113 (see, e.g., FIG.6) may be configured to produce an electrical current from movement ofthe moveable input member 112. In particular, in the example embodimentdescribed above, the movement of the moveable input member 112 is apivoting movement of the lever 126. The lever 126 may be depressed untilit is substantially flush or parallel with the body portion 102 a of thehousing 102 (see, e.g., FIG. 1). When the user releases the lever 126 orceases applying force thereto, the lever may return to the initial,extended starting configuration. In this regard, as illustrated in FIG.5, a spring 156 (e.g., a torsion spring) may be engaged with the lever126 such that the lever is spring-loaded and automatically returns tothe initial, extended starting configuration when released by a user.

As the lever 126 retracts to the initial, extended starting position,the motion of the gear track 130 may be reversed, which may in-turncause the transfer gear assembly 134 to rotate (e.g., in acounterclockwise direction in terms of the orientation illustrated inFIG. 5). Thereby, the flywheel gear 144, the flywheel shaft 146, and theinterlocking member 150 may rotate in a clockwise direction. However,the flywheel 148 may continue rotating after the inward pivotingmovement of the lever 126 ceases and during retraction of the lever tothe initial, extended starting configuration without a change in therotational direction thereof. In this regard, the flywheel 148 may beformed from a relatively dense material (e.g., steel or other metal),such that rotational inertia of the flywheel may continue to rotate thegenerator shaft 122 and thereby the generator 113 may continue toproduce electrical current even when the inward pivoting movement of thelever 126 has stopped until motion of the flywheel ceases.

The interlocking member 150 may allow continued rotation of the flywheel148 as noted above. In this regard, each of the inner teeth 154 maydefine an interlocking surface 158 and a non-interlocking surface 160.The interlocking surface 158 may be positioned on a side of each innertooth 154 configured to engage the pawl 152 when the interlocking member150 rotates in a first direction (e.g., counterclockwise in terms of theorientation illustrated in FIG. 5) corresponding to inward pivotingmotion of the lever 126 as it is squeezed to impart rotary motion to theflywheel 148. Conversely, the non-interlocking surface 160 may bepositioned at an opposing side of the inner tooth 154 that may contactone or more pawls 152 when the flywheel 148 rotates and the interlockingmember 150 is stationary and when the lever 126 retracts to the initial,extended starting configuration when the interlocking member 150 rotatesin a second direction (e.g., clockwise in terms of the orientationillustrated in FIG. 5). Thus, the flywheel 148 may substantiallydisconnect from the interlocking member 150 after motion is impartedthereto by the interlocking member. Thereby, the interlocking member 150may be configured to impart rotational motion to the flywheel 148 inonly one direction and allow continued rotation of the flywheel evenwhen the interlocking member is not rotating or is rotating in theopposite direction.

Note that the embodiment of the electrical generator assembly 110described above is provided for example purposes only. Various otherembodiments of electrical generator assemblies including a moveableinput member may be included in the aerosol delivery device. Forexample, in other embodiments the electrical generator assembly mayinclude a linear motion generator, a hand-crank generator, or any otherembodiment of electrical generator assembly including a moveable inputmember. An example embodiment of a linear motion generator is describedin U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,123 to Hamajima et al., which is incorporated byreference. An example embodiment of a hand-crank generator is describedin U.S. Pat. No. 7,723,880 to Dai et al., which is incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety.

As noted above with respect to FIG. 3, the electrical circuit 105 mayinclude the electrical generator assembly 110, which may produce anelectrical current that powers the components of the aerosol deliverydevice 100. Thereby, for example, the electrical current may be directedto the cartridge 200 as the electrical generator 113 produces theelectrical current. In other words, in one embodiment the electricalcurrent produced by the electrical generator 113 may be directed to theatomizer 210 (see, FIG. 4) of the cartridge 200 automatically and inresponse to the production of the electrical current, without anyfurther user interaction required. Thereby, in this embodiment, aerosolmay be produced as the user moves the moveable input member 112. Thus,for example, a user may draw on the cartridge 200 while moving themoveable input member 112.

However, in other embodiments it may be desirable to store theelectrical current produced by the electrical generator 113 such thatthe electrical current can be used when desired and power othercomponents of the aerosol delivery device 100 regardless of whether theelectrical generator assembly 110 is presently generating electricalcurrent. Thus, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the electrical circuit105 may optionally further comprise an electrical storage device 162.For example, the electrical storage device 162 may comprise a capacitorand/or a battery. In this regard, the electrical storage device 162 maybe configured to receive and store the electrical current produced bythe electrical generator assembly 110 and release the electrical currentwhen needed. In some embodiments the electrical power source 162 may beretained in the electrical circuit cavity 104 defined by the housing 102by the access door 102 b and a fastener 164.

Thereby, the electrical storage device 162 may power the electronicdisplay 120. Further, the electrical storage device 162 may retainelectrical current therein that can be directed to the atomizer 210(see, FIG. 4). For example, the electrical current may be directed fromthe electrical storage device 162 to the atomizer 210 when the userdraws on the cartridge 200, as detected by the flow sensor 118. In otherembodiments the electrical circuit 105 may include a switch 166configured to selectively direct the electrical current from theelectrical storage device 162 to the atomizer 210. Thereby, a user mayhave direct control over the flow of electrical current to the atomizer210. The switch 166 may be provided in addition to, or in place of, theflow sensor 118.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the electrical circuit 105 may furthercomprise an external power input 168 configured to charge the electricalstorage device 162. In this regard, the aerosol delivery device 100 maybe connected to an electrical charger that provides current to theelectrical storage device 162 via the external power input 168. Thereby,for example, the electrical storage device 162 may receive an initialcharge via the external power input 168 when the aerosol delivery device100 is in a location at which electrical power is available. Thereafter,a user may recharge the electrical storage device 162 with theelectrical generator assembly 110 until an electrical power source(e.g., home electrical current) is once again available. In someembodiments the external power input 168 may comprise a USB port, or anyother physical connector. In another embodiment the external power input168 may comprise an inductive receiver configured to provide for receiptof current via induction. An example embodiment of an inductive receiveris described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/814,866 to Sebastianet al., filed Jul. 31, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Additionally, as illustrated in FIG. 1, in some embodiments the aerosoldelivery device may further comprise a solar cell 170. The solar cell170 may be mounted to the body portion 102 a of the housing 102. Thesolar cell 170 may provide current to the electrical storage device 162.Thereby, the solar cell 170 may be provided in lieu of, or in additionto, one or both of the electrical generator assembly 110 and theexternal power input 168. An example embodiment of an aerosol deliverydevice including a solar cell is provided in U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/097,049 to Sur, filed Apr. 12, 2016, which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

In an additional embodiment an aerosol production method is provided. Asillustrated in FIG. 7, the method may include producing an electricalcurrent with an electrical generator assembly comprising a moveableinput member at operation 302. The moveable input member may extend outof a housing. Further, the method may include directing the electricalcurrent to an atomizer configured to receive an aerosol precursorcomposition from a reservoir to heat the aerosol precursor compositionand produce an aerosol at operation 304. The atomizer and the reservoirmay be engaged with or received within the housing.

In some embodiments the method may further comprise receiving andstoring the electrical current in an electrical storage device prior todirecting the electrical current to the atomizer. Additionally,directing the electrical current to the atomizer at operation 304 maycomprise directing the electrical current to the atomizer in response toreceipt of an input from a switch. Further, the method may includecharging the electrical storage device with an external current from anexternal power source positioned outside of the housing.

In some embodiments directing the electrical current to the atomizer atoperation 304 may comprise directing the electrical current through acoupler to a cartridge including the atomizer and the reservoir.Producing the electrical current with the electrical generator assemblyat operation 302 may include rotating a generator shaft extending froman electrical generator with the moveable input member. Producing theelectrical current with the electrical generator assembly at operation302 may further comprise rotating a transfer gear assembly with themoveable input member. Additionally, producing the electrical currentwith the electrical generator assembly at operation 302 may furthercomprise rotating a flywheel assembly. Producing the electrical currentwith the electrical generator assembly at operation 302 may furthercomprise engaging an input gear of the transfer gear assembly with themoveable input member and engaging an output gear of the transfer gearassembly with the flywheel assembly.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the disclosure will come tomind to one skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains havingthe benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions andthe associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that thedisclosure is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosedherein and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to beincluded within the scope of the appended claims. Although specificterms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptivesense only and not for purposes of limitation.

1. A control body, comprising: a housing; and an electrical circuitincluding: an electrical generator assembly comprising a moveable inputmember extending out of the housing; an electrical generator configuredto produce an electrical current from movement of the moveable inputmember; and a connector configured to direct the electrical current toan atomizer to produce an aerosol from an aerosol precursor composition.2. The control body of claim 1, wherein the electrical circuit furthercomprises an electrical storage device configured to receive and storethe electrical current.
 3. The control body of claim 2, wherein theelectrical circuit further comprises a switch configured to selectivelydirect the electrical current from the electrical storage device to theconnector.
 4. The control body of claim 2, wherein the electricalcircuit further comprises an external power input configured to chargethe electrical storage device.
 5. The control body of claim 1, whereinthe connector comprises a coupler configured to engage a cartridgeincluding the atomizer and a reservoir containing the aerosol precursorcomposition.
 6. The control body of claim 1, wherein the electricalgenerator assembly further comprises a generator shaft extending fromthe electrical generator, the moveable input member being configured torotate the generator shaft of the electrical generator assembly.
 7. Thecontrol body of claim 6, wherein the moveable input member comprises alever.
 8. The control body of claim 7, wherein the moveable input memberfurther comprises a gear track.
 9. The control body of claim 8, whereinthe electrical generator assembly further comprises a transfer gearassembly, the gear track being configured to engage and rotate thetransfer gear assembly, the transfer gear assembly being configured torotate the generator shaft extending from the electrical generator. 10.The aerosol delivery device of claim 9, wherein the electrical generatorassembly further comprises a flywheel assembly, the transfer gearassembly being engaged with the flywheel assembly and the flywheelassembly being engaged with the generator shaft extending from theelectrical generator.
 11. The aerosol delivery device of claim 10,wherein the transfer gear assembly includes an input gear and an outputgear, the gear track being engaged with the input gear and the flywheelassembly being engaged with the output gear.
 12. An aerosol deliverydevice comprising the control body of claim 1 and further comprising:the atomizer; and a reservoir containing the aerosol precursorcomposition.
 12. An aerosol production method, comprising: producing anelectrical current with an electrical generator assembly comprising amoveable input member, the moveable input member extending out of ahousing; and directing the electrical current to an atomizer configuredto receive an aerosol precursor composition from a reservoir to heat theaerosol precursor composition and produce an aerosol, the atomizer andthe reservoir being engaged with or received within the housing.
 13. Theaerosol production method of claim 12, further comprising receiving andstoring the electrical current in an electrical storage device prior todirecting the electrical current to the atomizer.
 14. The aerosolproduction method of claim 13, wherein directing the electrical currentto the atomizer comprises directing the electrical current to theatomizer in response to receipt of an input from a switch.
 15. Theaerosol production method of claim 13, further comprising charging theelectrical storage device with an external current from an externalpower source positioned outside of the housing.
 16. The aerosolproduction method of claim 12, wherein directing the electrical currentto the atomizer comprises directing the electrical current through acoupler to a cartridge including the atomizer and the reservoir.
 17. Theaerosol production method of claim 12, wherein producing the electricalcurrent with the electrical generator assembly comprises rotating agenerator shaft extending from an electrical generator with the moveableinput member.
 18. The aerosol production method of claim 17, whereinproducing the electrical current with the electrical generator assemblyfurther comprises rotating a transfer gear assembly with the moveableinput member.
 19. The aerosol production method of claim 18, whereinproducing the electrical current with the electrical generator assemblyfurther comprises rotating a flywheel assembly.
 20. The aerosolproduction method of claim 19, wherein producing the electrical currentwith the electrical generator assembly further comprises engaging aninput gear of the transfer gear assembly with the moveable input memberand engaging an output gear of the transfer gear assembly with theflywheel assembly.